Choose Phobia

In fact, the behavior of choosing phobias is when you need to when one thing makes a choice, the parties will sway, swayed, indecisive, and tangled in choice, resulting in a long period of time to not make the final decision, more likely to regret after the decision.

The choice of phobia is also called the choice of difficulty, in psychology, is a very common mental sub-health or mental illness state. Most of us, to some degree or other, have a choice of difficulties, such as:

1, the company's president in the appointment of a certain general manager hesitate: is the choice of business ability is very strong but Conservative little Li or choose a young some inexperienced but more aggressive Xiao Zhang ...

2, a female white-collar shop in the selection of skirts: is the choice of long, or short, both look very beautiful ...

3, an old woman in the Community market to buy vegetables: this stall cheap but some of the cucumber, the stall is very fresh but the price of a lot of expensive ...

Psychological experts said that the choice of difficulties is a psychological conflict, its anxiety and depression is not entirely based on "choice", but based on its general way of thinking and behavior caused by tension and pressure. So what does this proposition have to do with product design?

The product manager is the creator of the product, but regardless of the size of the design problem, the ultimate goal is to design a good product-the user's cool, we further understand the "simple design of the product, so that users no longer choose or reduce the choice" (in fact, this is also "Don" makes Me think A book, as well as the goals of many product managers, the following mainly from the product manager and user two aspects to explore these issues.

The choice of product manager is difficult

The essence of design is to eliminate people's confusion to the unknown world, in the process of eliminating the confusing product design, the product manager must face countless choices. Do you want to do a mobile app? If so, what features are in the app? is the first version based on Apple or Android? Is it a native app or a DRW? How to set up a few function menus at the bottom of the interface? How to determine the layout, interaction and style?............

There are so many problems in the face of these problems, if the decision? What are the principles and practical skills? This article tries to give some methods to this.

Principle and skill One: The design team opens the discussion, after the democracy concentrates

Heads a Zhuge Liang, not to mention the whole team with the same goal: sales, development, testing, operation and other team members in different aspects will have a say in product design. So when a product manager is hesitant about a problem, it's possible to open up the issue and have a full discussion about it. Even if not, at least heard the views of the parties, at a specific point of view will be fully demonstrated, the product manager's vision of the development of many benefits, but also is not no problem, because too much advice will sometimes interfere with the product manager's judgment, in the choice of determination stage, but also need objective judgment, calm choice, Here is the second principle and technique.

Principles and techniques Two: application of objective decision making tools

Objectivity can be understood as a decision based on data, there are many tools or models, here are two mainstream methods.

1. SWOT tool

After you get multiple designs based on the same problem, write down your tangled areas, and use a SWOT approach for each solution.

About SWOT the following content from Baidu: SWOT (Strengths weakness opportunity threats) analysis, also known as situation analysis method or advantage and disadvantage analysis method, to determine the enterprise's own competitive advantage (strength), competitive disadvantage ( weakness), opportunities (opportunity) and threats (threat), which organically integrate the company's strategy with the company's internal resources and external environment.

Definition broadcast finished, thank you, continue below.

Remember the first time to use a SWOT in seven years before the accreditation, in introducing the personal development plan in PPT, I used this analytical tool, more objective analysis of their own advantages in the development of the company, shortcomings, threats and opportunities, through such judgments, so that the subsequent personal development plan more targeted. Similarly, you can make decisions by using this tool when designing alternatives. On the use of the SWOT tool on the internet there are a lot of special articles, here is not to repeat, just give some specific suggestions:

1 give an objective and comprehensive description of each design plan;

2 Keep the simplification of analytical method, avoid complication and excessive analysis;

3 to give the difference between the pros and cons of the comparison between the different schemes;

4) Comprehensive consideration, and think of one more step is there a possibility of two plans to merge, stay superior to inferior.

2. Improved model of $appleas

$APPLEAS is a product demand analysis tool, often used in the company's annual budget or product project. From the customer's point of view, $APPLEAS pay attention to customer purchase demand factors, from the competitive comparative analysis to enhance their own attention to meet customer needs. The method is based on the price, availability, packaging, performance, life cycle costs, ease of use, assurance and social acceptance of eight aspects of the product evaluation, to obtain product data and comparison of various factors, the comparison table, and ultimately help the analyst to carry out requirements analysis and decision making. The elements of $appleas as shown in the following figure are constituted.

The following table is a training handout Tencent network, "product manager's Perspective", examples of the QQ show products for the overall project needs analysis.

Element breakdown project corresponding to the elements of Tencent products $ price design, production, technology, raw materials, production, suppliers, manufacturing, components, human costs, management costs, equipment to pay the price of the item/monthly price a guarantee/quality marketing, sales, channels, distribution, delivery, advertising, configuration, pricing, customer customized customer service/ Response to complaints p performance features, attractiveness, specifications, power, speed, capacity, adaptability, versatility, size. P packaging style, size, quantity, geometric design, modularity, architecture, interface, mechanical structure, identity, graphics, included/not included pages look good. e user-friendly, manipulative control , display, ergonomics, training, documents, help systems, human factors, interfaces, operational UI (interface operability) A-availability reliability, quality, security, error limits, integrity, strength, adaptability, dynamic characteristics, load, redundancy Q-coin purchase/Recharge channel L lifecycle life cycle cost, normal operation Downtime, insurance, liability, maintainability, services, spare parts, transplant channels, standardization, infrastructure, operating costs, installation cost item validity of the indirect impact of social acceptance, consultants, procurement agents, standards organizations, government, social accreditation, legal relations, politics, shareholders, management, workers, workplaces Peer recognition/Popularity

The following table is a training handout Tencent network, "product manager's Perspective", examples of the QQ show products for the overall project needs analysis. This film is only the impact of the $appleas elements of the split and refinement analysis, the following work is the focus of the various factors weighted scoring, as shown in the table below.

Key elements weight The company's products competitor 1 competitor 2 product $ price 0.3 7/2.1 7/2.1 9/2.7 a guaranteed/quality 0.2 8/1.6 7/1.4 9/1.8 P performance 0.2 8/1.6 7/1.4 9/1.8 P Packaging 0.1 8/0.8 9/0.7 7 /0.9 e easy to use 0.1 8/0.8 7/0.7 8/0.8 a availability 0.04 8/0.32 7/0.28 9/0.36 l life cycle cost 0.02 7/0.16 8/0.16 9/0.18 s social acceptance 0.04 8/0.32 8/0.32 Total 1 62/7.7 60/7.06 69/8.9

After we get this tabular data, we are very clear about the final value of the company's products and the comparison with competitor products, the decision is very basis.

If you are doing product requirements and project analysis, it is recommended to use this tool to make an objective assessment of the product, the network has a number of related resources and training courses. Of course, the focus of today's article is not the traditional product project and demand analysis, but the so-called "improved $appleas model." How to do, in fact, the basic steps and ideas are the same, namely:

1 find two or more programs that let us have difficulty in choosing;

2 define the influencing factors of the scheme and determine its coefficients;

3 scoring each item and getting the score of each program;

4) based on the score decision;

Nagging: This improved $appleas model is actually called your own model, such as the effect of the first letter of the combination of ABCD, which is your ABCD model;

In addition, there are some experiences or special instructions on the $appleas of this improvement:

1 $APPLEAS Each element after the refinement of the $appleas can be used to analyze the comparison, but will be more complex, unless there is such a demand, otherwise not recommended;

2) only in the choice of important design options to use this method, otherwise it will be time-consuming and laborious;

3 in fact, after $appleas analysis, can further carry out the analysis of the span diagram, interested in finding relevant information to learn or communicate with me;

Principles and techniques Three: product testing and User analysis

This scheme is a combination of test and user data analysis of decision-making methods, relative to the method based on analytical tools, more accurate. This knowledge can refer to predecessors Suger "Everyone is Product Manager" in the book on usability testing. Here is a further description of the small area can be done: first development of two programs, based on specific rules (geographical or Network operators type) released, after the monitoring effect, do user research, Comparison of user habits, like and complaint data, according to these data for the adjustment.

But there is also a more obvious drawback of this approach, is to develop two programs, in the research and development effort there are sacrifices. Recommendations are:

1) only in the local independent function of cautious use;

2 do not affect the basic logic too much, preferably only the interface adjustment;

Speaking of which, I think of a very classic case.--giles Colborne's story about not letting users choose-the next principle and technique-is mentioned in the book Simplicity first-four strategies for interactive design.

Principle and skill Three: because we have more entanglements, the user is less entangled

Product manager do not play Taiji, that is, do not put the design should be resolved to the user's head, even if this will kill a lot of brain cells. For example, a data-browsing interface in which the product manager struggles to provide a list and an icon tile, unsure which pattern to adopt, and then decides that the two schemas coexist and provides switching capabilities-is a common idea. But immediately leads to other functions: whether the user can set the default login display mode or preferences (each time is their favorite mode, only in the switch only changes)? OK, so I designed a user's ability to make personal settings.

This seems to be appropriate-users have a lot of initiative, we also "seem" to give users more initiative. But the question is, how many users are going to do this, and they don't have a choice of fear when they use this feature? The more functionality a product has, the more it means that the user's choice of accuracy and doubt increases-and that it becomes more confusing and impossible to choose. So whether from the psychological point of view or design development perspective, we should be every new addition to the full consideration of the function-should it? What kind of problem, whether there are alternative plans, how to evaluate?

In fact, a solution to the above problem is very simple, Giles Colborne gave a scheme to find some customers to test, if the two schemes are not the same, then toss a coin casually choose one. Why toss a coin? Because if the test data is comparable, the two design aspects are not wrong, are OK, then we still tangle what?

Second, the user to use the product selection difficulties

We further explain the previous chapter from a theoretical perspective, and then move the discussion to the user's difficult choice when using the product.

One of the user's choice difficulties: simple design, clear path

Zhangxiaolong, the father of micro-trust, says that "Don't let users choose" is a consideration when discussing the principles of mobile Internet product design. For example, "within the same page, there are multiple portals, the same function, there are several ways to implement, the same interface, there are several ways to display." This is a pain rather than a pleasure for the user because they will only feel confused and fearful. The user prefers to take a long, fixed path for repetitive operations, and is unwilling to use a variable shortcut. ”

We analyze, first of all, from the perspective of human nature, one of the characteristics of human nature is lazy, lazy means do not want to think and choose, so the product manager to design a solution to reduce user